Buckingham Palace on Friday introduced with “deep sorrow” the loss of life of the Duchess of Kent, Katharine, on the age of 92.
She “handed away peacefully final night time at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her household,” the Palace mentioned in its assertion. The Union Flag at Buckingham Palace has been lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect.
It’s with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace pronounces the loss of life of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent.
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Her Royal Highness handed away peacefully final night time at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her household.
The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Household be a part of The Duke… pic.twitter.com/OsCeb3pQ7d
— The Royal Household (@RoyalFamily) September 5, 2025
Katharine was the oldest member of the Royal Household and the spouse of Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, a primary cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley on February 22, 1933, she was the one daughter of aristocrat Col. Sir William Worsley and Woman Worsley of Hovingham Corridor, close to York.
In 1961, she married Edward, grandson of King George V, in a lavish ceremony that captured nationwide consideration. Collectively, they’d three kids: George, Earl of St. Andrews, Woman Helen Windsor, and Lord Nicholas Windsor.
A sleek presence at Wimbledon
In line with an AP report, the Duchess grew to become a well-recognized and beloved determine at Wimbledon, the place she offered trophies for a few years. She was admired not just for her grace in handing out prizes but in addition for her compassion–most famously when she embraced a tearful Jana Novotna after her loss to Steffi Graf within the 1993 ladies’s singles remaining.
Life past royal duties
Katharine, who typically most popular to be recognized merely as “Mrs. Kent,” stepped again from public royal life to observe her ardour for educating. She labored for over a decade as a music trainer at a public faculty in Hull, inspiring younger musicians. A gifted pianist, organist, and singer, she additionally based the charity Future Expertise, which offers devices and alternatives for underprivileged kids with musical ambitions.
Her religion additionally marked a major chapter of her life. She was the primary member of the Royal Household in additional than three centuries to transform to Catholicism and volunteered with the suicide-prevention charity Samaritans.
Tributes from Royal Household
King Charles III and different members of the Royal Household paid tribute to her service, saying they mourned the loss and remembered “the Duchess’s lifelong devotion to all of the organizations with which she was related, her ardour for music and her empathy for younger folks.”
The flag at Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-staff at midday because the nation honoured a royal who quietly formed her personal path–balancing custom with private conviction, and royalty with humanity.
(With inputs from AP)
